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SyuurAI
Day 4: Monday "syuurAI" '(4日目: 月曜日 "襲來", 4-Nichi-me: Getsuyōbi "shūrAI",'' lit. '''Day 4: Monday "Attack") is a chapter featured in AI: The Somnium Files. It is the ninth chapter of the Purple Route. It covers Kaname Date's investigation of what happened to Iris Sagan. Case File Synopsis Date believed that Iris was alive because he saved her in Somnium. Aiba found his theory to be ridiculous and insisted on finding Shoko Nadami's killer. To find more evidence, Date continued his investigation. Aiba and Date determined that So's secretary was in contact with Prisoner #89. Date attempted to interrogate #89, but he escaped with Renju's help. Date received a call from Moma claiming that he had information about Renju, but he wanted to meet Iris before he would give it up. Date took Iris to meet Moma in exchange for the information. Next, they headed to Marble in Golden Yokocho, but were attacked by armed men. Iris claimed that they must be agents of a secret society that is hunting her down. To determine if her words were true, Date decided to Psync with her... Story Summary ABIS HQ, Monday 9:32 AM Date met with Boss to discuss the case. Date believed he somehow changed reality by saving Iris in So's Somnium, despite Aiba's protests. Boss acknowledged that So was suspicious because of his call to Shoko and his unexplained presence at the warehouse. Without solid proof, however, Boss released him. Aiba explained that Okiura Fishery was founded by Renju's father, but Renju himself never owned the company. Aiba also discussed possible reasons Renju sent the NILE message calling Mizuki to Bloom Park. Date set off to investigate the warehouse again and speak to people who might know Renju's whereabouts. Driving, Monday Aiba discussed So's involvement with the case. She found that So's secretary had recently received a call from an inmate at Fuchu Prison, #89. Aiba explained that #89 had been an assassin known as Falco, and his real name and nationality were unknown. He was imprisoned for multiple counts of murder six years prior. Aiba could not determine his connection to the Cyclops Serial Killings or So, but agreed that he was worth speaking to. Date asked if #89 could be brought to ABIS for questioning. Sejima Residence, Monday Date questioned So, but he still would not explain what he was doing at the warehouse. He also said he did not know who #89 was, and would not elaborate on his connection to Shoko or Iris. Aiba showed Date a thermal scan of So's body when he mentioned Iris, showing an increase in body temperature. However, they could not determine his reason for lying. Before leaving, So told Date he never wanted to see him again. Marble, Monday Mama had no new information about Renju, but she did know about the assassin Falco. She mentioned that Falco had connections to the Kumakuras. Date thought back to a conversation he had with Renju about his experience with the yakuza. When Renju was in high school, he worked for the Kumakuras as part of a phone fraud scam. Eventually, he befriended the higher-ups and accompanied them to various jobs. They would meet with wealthy elderly people, convince them to adopt them, then drown them and claim their money as inheritance. Before Date left, Mama told him that a regular who knew Renju would be at Marble that night. Sagan Residence, Monday Date asked Hitomi about Renju, but she did not know where he might be. She also talked at length about her past. Her parents died when she was 17 years old, and she stayed where she was since she was already partway through high school. She raised Iris on her own, with occasional help from Renju. Since Iris was born when Hitomi was only 19, people did not always take kindly to that, but Iris would always defend her. Iris grew up loving to sing and dance, and she would always get up and dance whenever she heard music. She recounted a time when Iris fractured her leg and she had to carry her to the hospital. Hitomi also mentioned an incident six years prior in which she was shot in the shoulder. After her surgery, Iris ran into her hospital room and started crying, begging her not to die. When asked about the picture on the wall, Hitomi explained that Iris drew it at age 12, depicting herself, her mother, and the man Hitomi was dating at the time. She first met him at the Ikume Shrine, where he was badly injured. Before she could call an ambulance, he kissed her to keep her from talking while people who were looking for him went by. When he asked her not to call an ambulance or the police, Hitomi realized he must be a criminal, and took him to an underground clinic. After some time, they began dating, and Hitomi introduced him to Iris a month later. Iris had never had a real father figure before, so she warmed up to him quickly and treated him like her real father. One day, he was making okonomiyaki, and tossed one onto Hitomi's head while trying to flip it. Iris began laughing, so Hitomi put one on both of their heads, sparking an all-out food fight. Iris immortalized the "Okonomiyaki War" as a drawing. In November, however, a gunman broke into their home with the intent of killing Hitomi's boyfriend. Hitomi got between them and ended up with a bullet to the shoulder, and both men were arrested. Hitomi knew her boyfriend had been some kind of criminal before she met him, and his past had caught up with him. When she told Date about the incident the day before, Hitomi had described it as a random break-in because Mizuki was present, and she did not want Iris to know she had been dating a criminal. Lemniscate Office, Monday Date arrived at Lemniscate to find Iris, who yelled at him for backing out on their date the day before. Date told Iris about Renju's accident and asked where he might be, but she had no information. Iris would not explain why her phone had been turned off or who visited her late at night, but agreed to tell Date if he fulfilled his promise to go on a date. She also said that she had seen So Sejima on television before, but never met him in person. Date also told Iris about finding her body in the cold storage warehouse. She believed him, and said he might have been in a parallel world. Iris had a recording to get to, but promised to meet Date back in the lobby at 3:00 PM. Cold Storage Warehouse, Monday At the warehouse, Date and Aiba discussed why CSI took over an hour to arrive at the scene. Aiba guessed that it may have been the result of outside influence. They investigated the warehouse together, but they were unable to find anything out of the ordinary, so Date moved on. ABIS HQ, Monday 2:49 PM Date returned to ABIS, where Boss told him that #89 was waiting. Boss said that she had to leave, since one of her higher-ups needed her, but Pewter would accompany him. In the interrogation room, #89 was unwilling to give any personal information. However, he did admit to calling So's secretary and said he spoke with him directly about something important. He told him to call someone, but would not elaborate on who that was. Date changed the subject to Shoko's murder. Before giving any further information, #89 demanded his release in exchange for information. Believing Date had no intention of doing so, #89 slammed the table against him, took his Evolver, held Pewter at gunpoint, and demanded to be taken to the exit. ABIS HQ, Monday 4:06 PM After Boss returned to ABIS, Pewter informed her about what happened. Boss was furious, and demanded they find #89 and return him to police custody as soon as possible. Pewter explained that #89 stole an officer's clothes and took Pewter along at gunpoint, stole Pewter's security card, and used it to leave the building. The whole escape took about five minutes. #89 still had Date's gun, but Pewter told Date he had a spare. Aiba checked the security cameras to find that #89 fled in a car waiting for him, driven by Renju Okiura. Date then received a call from Moma telling him Renju had been spotted. However, he would not tell him anything further without first meeting Iris. Date left for Lemniscate to find her. Lemniscate Office, Monday 4:43 PM Date was greeted by a very impatient Iris in the Lemniscate lobby. Date agreed to take her on a date, and told her about the Kumakura Office. Kumakura Office, Monday 5:10 PM Date brought Iris to see Moma. He introduced the two to each other and explained the case so far to Moma, including his discovery of Iris's body in the warehouse, but no one had any idea what Renju's connection could be. In exchange for a handshake from Iris, Moma told Date that Renju was spotted at Sunfish Pocket and Ikume Shrine. Before leaving, Date tried to leave Iris with Moma, but she insisted on coming with him and promised to tell him about her late-night visitor. Sunfish Pocket, Monday Date ran into Mizuki and the mermaid at Sunfish Pocket. Date asked about Renju, and the mermaid said that Renju came by the day before, just after Date and Ota left. He was looking for Iris and asking around about her, but no one knew why. He seemed sick, likely as a result of the accident. Iris talked about her friendship with the mermaid, and her history with Renju. He helped raise her as a child and helped her get started with her career. Mizuki explained that Iris's dancing talent was was really got her into Lemniscate. When Date asked to see her dance, she performed her single, Invincible Rainbow Arrow. Date also asked Mizuki about what she was doing at the maid cafe. When she started yelling at him, the mermaid took Date aside and told him that Mizuki was crying earlier, likely as a result of everything she had been through over the past few days. She told him that Mizuki was trying to act strong, and asked Date to understand. Mizuki told Date she did know know where Renju was, and corroborated Aiba's information about Okiura Fishery. However, Aiba noticed that her body temperature rose when she was asked about the cold storage warehouse. Ikume Shrine, Monday Iris nearly collapsed on her way to the shrine. She assured Date she was okay, and the two sat down to talk. Iris told Date about the legend about the shrine and the fruit of immortality. She also told him that she used to visit the shrine with her "Uncle," Hitomi's lover at the time. She explained that she was still looking for him after he disappeared six years ago, and hoped to get famous as an idol so he might find her again. He was the one who suggested the name "A-set" to her, so she hoped he would recognize her. Cold Storage Warehouse, Monday At the cold storage warehouse, Date explained Somnium to Iris. He explained that the Psync machine used nanomachines to get past the blood-brain barrier and reach the brain. Iris told Date that she already had some knowledge about nanotechnology and its potential medical applications. To Date's surprise, she also knew about the Wadjet System, and seemed troubled by the mention of it. Date then explained that the Psync gear used nanocables to go through the eye socket and reach the brain via the optic nerve. During a Psync, the subject and Psyncer's brain exchange information via the nanocables. Since the human brain can only hold one consciousness at a time, the Psyncer's consciousness enters the subject's brain while only their memories are present. Date compared it to a house with no one inside that the Psyncer would break into. If the Psyncer were to stay past the six minute time limit, however, the neural circuits would become too closely entwined, trapping the Psyncer in the subject's "house." He told Iris that he Psynced with So Sejima on Sunday. Iris theorized that saving her in So's Somnium may have caused something to happen. However, before she could explain further, she started getting cold, so Date left with her. Matsushita Diner, Monday Iris asked Ota to make omelet rice as soon as she arrived. Date asked him about Renju, but he had no information. Ota also told him his mother was in the living room. Date mentioned Iris's apparent resurrection, and explained the situation to Ota. Iris told him Date jumped into a parallel world where she was still alive. To explain the parallel worlds concept, she played a game of rock-paper-scissors with him. Iris explained that each possible result of their game occurred in a different timeline, or parallel world. Date doubted her theory about him jumping between parallel worlds, but Iris and Ota both explained several theories and urban legends that supported the idea of parallel worlds. Iris explained the following: * "The 100 million balls": Iris explained the anthropic principle. If things had been even slightly different when the universe was formed, the solar system and the life inside it may never have existed. Iris asked if Date would be able to pick out a specific ball from a box of ping pong balls labeled from 1 to 100 million. It was extremely unlikely, but among 100 million people, one person would pick it. Likewise, the birth of humanity was incredibly improbable, but if there were multiple universes, it would make sense for at least one of them to have humans in it. * "The bouba/kiki effect": Iris showed Date a picture of two shapes, one rounded and one jagged. A famous experiment asked subjects to name one "bouba" and one "kiki." 98% percent of people answer that the rounded one is bouba and the jagged one is kiki, regardless of their culture or native language. Similarly, Iris explained that many cultures worshipped the sun and the sea, or thought of the "Mother" as soft and the "Father" as jagged. She said that it came from what Jung called the "Collective Unconscious," connecting all of humanity on a subconscious level. * "The Mandela effect": Iris explained that when Nelson Mandela died in 2013, people all over the world thought that he already died in 1980. She listed additional examples: the title of a series of kids' books about bears, the car Kennedy was assassinated in, and the tail of an electric mouse from a particular video game series. According to Iris, the discrepancy in memories came from a parallel world. Ota also explained several urban legends, including: * "The two sisters": A girl named B practices piano in her room while her sister watches TV. B asks her sister to turn the volume down, but nothing happens, so she turns around to discover her sister is gone. Then, her sister returns home with her parents, and says she was out shopping the whole time. Before she left, she made a decision between watching her favorite TV show and going out shopping. B had experienced two parallel worlds where her sister made a different choice. * A story about being transported a year into the future with a phone full of unfamiliar contacts. * A story about a town where everyone is Japanese, but they all speak a completely different language. * "The spatial-temporal man": A nondescript old man wearing work clothes who appears in the dreams of many people. He guides people back to the real world and tells them, "This world is not for you." * "The lost friend": A and Suzuki were close elementary school friends. One day, Suzuki laughed so hard that his eyes fell out of his sockets, but he quickly put them back in and moved on as if nothing happened. Ota explained that it was actually still possible to replace a dislocated eye if the nerves were connected. The next day, Suzuki was nowhere to be found. A discovered that none of his classmates remembered Suzuki. Iris speculated that A jumped into a parallel world without Suzuki. * A story about a kid named C who goes to school and finds a lot of items on the floor. They were all things from C's own house, but no one knew how they got to the classroom. Iris speculated that two parallel worlds fused. Eventually, Ota finished making his omelet rice. Iris picked up her spoon and began eating, but before she could pick up a spoonful, it slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor. When Ota asked if she was okay, she told him her hand just slipped, and they continued eating in silence. After finishing the food, Date and Iris left together. Driving, Monday On the way to Marble, Date called Mama to let her know he was bringing Iris. Mama promised that the regular who knew Renju would be at Marble as well. Afterward, Date received another call from Boss. He told her he had not yet found #89, but he was on his way to Golden Yokocho to meet someone with information on Renju. Golden Yokocho, Monday 10:07 PM As soon as they arrived, Date and Iris were attacked by two masked men. Date fought them both off, but someone shot at them moments later. They ducked behind the wall, and Aiba came up with a plan to incapacitate them and escape safely. Aiba told him to shoot down a nearby hanger holding women's underwear, distracting the gunmen. Then, Date shot a porno mag vending machine, scattering magazines over the street and further distracting them. Aiba then called Mama and imitated Date's voice to get her to open the door. She popped out of Date's eye and tossed a fire extinguisher, which Date shot, causing it to ricochet down the street and off Marble's open door. It knocked out the gunmen and finally landed in a vehicle at the end of the street. With their exit secured, Date took Iris back to his apartment. Date Residence, Monday 10:52 PM Mizuki was not home when Date and Iris arrived. Aiba checked her phone's GPS to discover that she was at Sunfish Pocket. Date sat down with Iris to ask her about what happened. Iris admitted that she wanted Date to go on a date with her because she believed her life was being threatened by a secret society, and she needed a bodyguard. The secret society was called Naixatloz, a group under the control of the Wadjet System, with the goal of completing the satellite X00639. She explained that X00639 was a large satellite of unknown origin. Its true purpose was to function as a powerful radio transmitter. The Wadjet System, according to Iris, was an artificial intelligence decoded from alien radio signals by the company Elgorg. Aiba insisted that none of Iris's explanation was true. Iris went on to explain that Naixatloz had members in powerful positions all over the world. Wadjet's goal was to transmit their data to a distant planet and continue to proliferate like any other species. While their motives were unknown, the fact that they had incredible power and did nothing to solve the world's problems made them evil. Aiba doubted Iris's explanation, and suggested that Date Psync with her to confirm whether she was telling the truth. Driving, Monday On the drive to ABIS, Date realized that someone must have tipped off the men who attacked them at Golden Yokocho. He had told Boss he was taking Iris there, making her a likely suspect. Date called Pewter to ask if another Psync machine existed outside of ABIS. Pewter said there was only one in the world, but a prototype had been stolen six years ago. However, its current location was unknown. Pewter also told Date that he was not at ABIS, but rather out drinking in Shinjuku. He planned to go to Golden Yokocho, but heard about the shootout and stayed away. Boss was also out, meaning that no one was at ABIS. After hanging up, Date told Iris that he planned to Psync with her. If he found out that she was telling the truth, he promised to become her bodyguard. ABIS HQ, Monday 11:47 PM With no one else at ABIS, Aiba was left to operate the Psync remotely. Once again, she reminded Date of the six minute time limit. Trivia